Activities counselor in a vital social-community

location
4 - 38 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Brilliant 4.7  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Excellent response rate

Highlights

  • Have unique personal experience of growth and give something back to others
  • Visit hot springs and natural saunas near the city
  • Learn and improve your Spanish while taking classes.

Highlights

  • Have unique personal experience of growth and give something back to others
  • Visit hot springs and natural saunas near the city
  • Learn and improve your Spanish while taking classes.
  • Live in the city of "internal spring" Seriously, the climate here is awesome.
  • Learn more about the lifelihood of the children and their families in this community


  • Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Families
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Help out with teaching, construction, workshops, education or childcare in a vital social-community.

    This organization started in 2007 as a community center and grew into an entire little community with almost 100 families and 250 children living there. It helps poor families in the city by offering them a place to live and (further) support. Many of the families have one or multiple disabled ...

    About the program

    This organization started in 2007 as a community center and grew into an entire little community with almost 100 families and 250 children living there. It helps poor families in the city by offering them a place to live and (further) support. Many of the families have one or multiple disabled children and have to deal with various problems as a result of alcohol and drug abuse. It’s a busy and hurly-burly place, with dedicated people and a lot of work to do.

    There are many opportunities here to help, such as assisting at the local primary school with for example homework, theater lessons or giving English classes. Also a lot of maintenance is needed, on the houses as well as the playing equipment in the area. Moreover, initiative to undertake activities with the children is greatly appreciated; think of playing football, games, cooking together or singing karaoke (a huge hobby of many here!). If you stay for a longer period of time, there is also room to do something in the field of social emotional development. There is a minimum stay of 2-4 weeks as activity support or on construction and a minimum of 3 months working in other fields.


    Possible tasks:

    • teaching English
    •  helping with construction
    • free time activities
    •  homework support
    • gardening, cooking
    • sports and arts
    •  workshops for parents and their children – depending on your Spanish skills
    • social support and many more.



    Typical day

    In the morning, after you had breakfast with your host family, you get in the trufi (the common public transport) to your project. As always, there is rush hour and traffic but you get to chitchat with the locals. You stop at hard ware shop to buy materials, because you had a project planned and ...

    Typical day

    In the morning, after you had breakfast with your host family, you get in the trufi (the common public transport) to your project. As always, there is rush hour and traffic but you get to chitchat with the locals. You stop at hard ware shop to buy materials, because you had a project planned and already gathered a group of volunteering kids around you. You want to paint one of the community rooms. So you prepare it to paint and a father of one of the kids, helps you to clean and get everything out so you can start.

    After school the kids drop in and a small group needs desperate help to catch up in English. You play simple conversation games and memory. As you promised you bought some paint you start to paint with the kids, and there is one wall, they can paint as they like. It's getting chaotic because now every one wants to help and paint.

    The afternoon passes quickly and at 5PM you take a Bus to the language school, because you decided to continue with Spanish classes in the evenings. There is not much time to grab a bite on the way, but you get there in time, even though its rush hour again. You had the plan to meet up with friends for cinema later that night, but you decide to call it a day, because it is just the beginning of the week and you are tired as hell.


    Free-time activities

    In Cochabamba you can find hospitals and western doctors, supermarkets,  good mobile signal and a vast cultural life. There are National Parks nearby, sportstudios, museums, music-schools and yoga studios. Hiking-trails in the nearby mountains and trips to Villa Tunari and other Bolivian Hotspots.

    Free-time activities

    In Cochabamba you can find hospitals and western doctors, supermarkets,  good mobile signal and a vast cultural life. There are National Parks nearby, sportstudios, museums, music-schools and yoga studios. Hiking-trails in the nearby mountains and trips to Villa Tunari and other Bolivian Hotspots.


    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Language Skills

    You need to speak English (basic level) or Spanish (basic level)

    Education Requirements

    at High School level

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    all-rounders, experience and/or interest in working with kids, experience with handicapped persons, craftsmen/women, teaching experience, sport enthusiasts, background as therapist, physiotherapist or any medical background. Not sure if you have the right skills? Don’t worry – talk to us!

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

    What's Included

    What's Included

    Services by Beyond South America

    Our one-time mediation fee includes:

    • search and mediation for a suitable project
    • preparation via Skype calls
    • search and mediation for accommodation (host family and/or volunteer house)
    • airport pick up and city tour; SIM-card; donation to the project; support with visa
    • 24/7 contact to coordinator on site
    • emergency support and hospital transport;
    • evaluation of the project
    • transport to your project (one-time)

    Note: We offer an upgrade package (comfort class) for volunteers that need more support. This package includes more contact time. We take you more often to your project/Spanish classes, we offer 'airport drop-off' and there is extra time to explore Cochabamba. Naturally, this upgrade comes with a small price increase. 

    Which costs are not included? 

    • Flights
    • Insurance
    • Accommodation (we do offer accommodation in our volunteerhouse or host families for additional prices)
    • food/meals and daily needs
    • Spanish classes (possible)

    We will send you detailed information about the costs of living you can expect in Bolivia.

    Please note, that all the profit of Beyond South America goes to the foundation "Casa de la Alegría" providing therapeutic workshops for children and adolescence in social projects in and around Cochabamba/Bolivia

    Airport Pickup at J Wilsterman Airport

    We will pick you up at Cochabamba Airport anytime and bring you to your accommodation on the day of your arrival.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Accommodation

    Please arrange your own accommodation.

    Food & Beverages

    Food, snacks or beverages are at extra costs.

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is J Wilsterman Airport (CBB) in Cochabamba. We assist you to find cheap flights to Bolivia. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Bolivia provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Bolivia you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Bolivia. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Volunteers are needed all year arround.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program fees

    4 weeks (min. stay) 750€
    5 weeks 42€
    6 weeks 56€
    7 weeks 70€
    11 weeks 126€
    19 weeks 237€
    38 weeks (max. stay) 750€
    Average fees 103€/week

    Program fees

    103€ per week 4 - 38 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES


    Duration

    4 - 38 weeks

    Deposit

    The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


    Final Payment

    Your final payment will be agreed with Beyond South America during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


    Meet your organization

    Beyond South America

    Brilliant 4.7 rating (6 reviews)

    Non-profit - founded in 2013

    Verified by Volunteer World

      Excellent response rate

    Coordinated by

    Laurie

    About the project

    We are a non-profit agency, offering handpicked and sustainable volunteerpositions in South America.

    Meet your organization

    About Beyond South America



    Beyond South America is a small nonprofit agency in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It all started in 2012 with a few volunteer positions at "Casa de la Alegria", a foundation that provides therapeutic workshops to youth- and childcare projects in and around Cochabamba.

    Everyone in our team has been a volunteer, traveled to a foreign country alone and knows how difficult it can be. We’ve met many volunteers who have had bad experiences, have been left alone in their projects, and lacked support. With that in mind, we decided to start organizing different volunteer opportunities, with hand picked projects, host families we know well, airport pickups, 24/7 support, and most importantly: We want to get to know our volunteers, so we can help them find not just any, but the right project for them.

    Since then we’ve grown and have become the "ones to go to when in need" for stranded volunteers in Cochabamba. We’re still a small, familiar organization but by now have partnerships in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Guatemala, and are looking for enthusiastic, open-minded and skilled volunteers for a wide variety of positions in our handpicked projects.

    As we have all lived our own lives of voluntary work all around the world, we understand the needs of volunteers, their concerns and wishes. We also care about our collaborating organizations, we offer only sustainable projects, that guarantee safety and on site support for our volunteers.

    It may sound naïve, but we actually believe that volunteering can change the world for the better. Acts of solidarity, global learning and intercultural exchange break down borders that exist between cultures and in your own mind. Anyone who has ever worked in another country, who has given his time and energy to a good cause, knows that this can be an unforgettable experience, even a life changing moment. Your own impressions and the ones you leave in others, the learning experiences on both sides, bring the world closer together.


    The feedback we receive from our volunteers and from our partners speaks for itself and shows that both sides benefit from volunteering. Many projects in Latin America need committed volunteers and helping hands to continue their important work. Motivated people, who work responsibly and in solidarity, also function as an impulse for the projects and their employees and prove that it makes sense to continue their work.


     

    We try to combine the needs of projects and volunteers with our work and work towards finding the right project for volunteers and the right volunteer for the projects. Therefore, we want to get to know you, learn more about your background, your abilities, desires and fears, in order to propose suitable projects to you. Of course, we are also happy if you already have a project in mind and we gladly organize an unforgettable experience for you.

     

    Currently we offer positions in projects working in the following fields:

    • Childcare

    • Education

    • Youth Development

    • Teaching

    • Community Work

    • Circus Arts

    • Healthcare

    • Environmental Education

    • Reforestation

    • Conservation

    • Animal Care

    • Urban Gardening


    Check out our vacancies and please note, that ALL the profit of Beyond South America still goes to the Foundation "Casa de la Alegría" supporting and sustaining their work. So volunteering with Beyond South America means, you contribute directly to a good cause, bettering the lives of children in Bolivia.

    So come with us to Beyond South America.

    6 reviews · rating4.7

    Thank you Beyond South America! I worked in two projects in Bolivia and had an amazing time there. At first they organized for me working 4 hours a day in a community center in the west of Cochabamba and everyone was super friendly and welcoming. My Spanish wasn’t so good at the beginning but my ...
    Hey there, I worked as a volunteer for Casa de la Alegría in 2018. It’s a foundation in Cochabamba/Bolivia working with kids. They give workshops to kids in order to strengthen and support their social emotional development through games with therapeutic aspects using the Rock and Water ...
    2017 I went for 3 month working in a day care center in Cochabamba. We were a couple of volunteers – mainly Bolivians – and organized Workshops, prepared Food for the kids, helped out with their homework and simply played with them. The kids got there after school and I worked every day about ...
    Gloria Reinhardt rating4.6

    2017 at Reforestation Assistant

    I had a bad experience with volunteering in Albania once, where I had to quit my project after 3 weeks. So I was very careful when my boyfriend wanted to do voluntary work in South America. We thought it would be better to organize part of our trip with an agency. I was really surprised about the ...
    Joris Vermeulen rating4.6

    2017 at Caretaker in a Park for Rescued Animals

    In 2016 me and my girl friend went to Bolivia to volunteer and learn Spanish. Beyond South America (BSA) provided the best help we could have wished for. From the first e-mail we sent till the day we left Bolivia, Laurie and Marije have helped us with everything we needed. They found us projects ...
    Ria Willems rating4.8

    2015 at Caretaker in a Park for Rescued Animals

    I went to bolivia with beyond south america. There is a one time donation and for that price Laurie organises the whole stay in Bolivia. House, work, languageschool, and even a bridge club for me. She wecomes you at the airport and shows you around. You pay for what you want directly to the school ...

    Location

    Americas > South America > Bolivia > Cochabamba

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